3.

PROJECTILE MOTION

Purpose
To verify the range of the ball launched at an angle is correctly predicted by
kinematic equation for two-dimensional motion. Photogates are used to determine the
initial velocity of the ball.

Equipment Needed
Projectile launcher with plastic ball, two photogates, carbon paper, white paper,
measuring-tape and computer with Science Workshop Interface.

Theory
To predict where a ball will land on the floor when it is shot off a table at any angle
with respect to the horizontal, it is necessary first to determine the initial speed of the
ball. This can be done by shooting the ball through two photogates, which will measure
the time to travel from the first photogate to the second. The distance between the
photogates is then measured. Finally, the speed can be calculated from the distance and
the time.
If air resistance can be neglected, then the only force on the ball is the
downward force of gravity. As a result, the horizontal component of the acceleration
vector is zero, while the vertical component of acceleration is of magnitude g =
9.81m/s2. Let’s choose a coordinate in which the positive x and positive y directions are
to the right and in the upward directions, respectively. We then have ax = 0 and ay = -g,
where the minus sign arises because the acceleration is downwards, i.e., in the direction
of negative y. The range, x, of the ball when it is shot with an initial velocity, vo, at
flight must be calculated using the vertical component of the motion in order to find the
time, t.

y =yo + (vo sin )t – ½ gt2 (1)

The range now can be calculated by using the equation

x = (vo cos )t (2)

Procedure: Goggles required

1) Clamp the launcher to the edge of the table with the paper between the jaw of the
clamp and the foot of the launcher (this is done so that the launcher will not be
damaged by the clamp).
2) Orient the launcher so that it fires along the edge of the table at 0  elevation angle.
3) Set up the photogates:
a. Connect the Science Workshop Interface to the computer, turn on the interface,
and turn on the computer.
b. Connect the photogates to Digital Channel 1 and 2.
c. Double click the DataStudio icon on desktop.
d. Click the Create Experiment icon.
1
e. Configure the first photogate by following procedure:

2
  Click at Digital Channel 1.
 Select Photogate sensor from a list of sensors, and click OK button.
 On the measurement tab, select only Time In Gate and uncheck others.
 Drag the Time In Gate in Data section, and drop onto to the Table section.
f. Repeat procedure 3) e. to configure the second photogate, which is connected to
Digital Channel 2.
4) Set the photogates as close as possible to the open end of the launcher with
beam crossing the center of the opening.
5) Place the second photogate about 15.0 cm from the first photogate.
6) Click the Start button to begin data recording.
7) Fire the ball through the photogates. Observe whether the center of the ball
passes the second photogate beam.
8) Adjust the height of the second photogate so that it does.
9) Measure the horizontal distance, d, between the two pohotogates beams.
10) Do this 3 times for each range setting of the launcher.
11) Calculate the average time, t, for each range setting.
(You will have to reset the height of the second photogate for each range)
12) You can now calculate the initial velocity, v0, for each range setting.
13) Measure the vertical distance, yo, from directly beneath the center of the mouth
of the launcher to the floor.
14) Calculate the value of t calculated from equation (1). From this value you can
calculate the value of x calculated from equation (2).
15) The tube should point at an angle towards a clear floor space.
16) Set the launcher for 0 elevation and long (low, medium and high) range.
17) Fire a test shot to see where the ball lands.
18) Tape the white sheet of paper over the spot.
19) Fire another test shot to verify that it lands on the paper.
20) Now tape the carbon paper over the white paper with the carbon side down and
fire 3 shots.
21) Measure the distance from the spot on the floor that you mark earlier to the spots
on the paper as xexperiment.
22) Repeat for the other range.
23) Fill in the Table1.
Table 1
Data:
Range Set tave (s) d (m) V0 (m/s)

Low

Med

Range yo (m) t calculated (s) xcalculated (m) xexperiment(m) % error

1.26 0.021 1.813 1.315 63.91
Low (0)
0.18 1.867 1.450 22.33
Low (10)
0.17 1.866 1.500 19.61
Low (40)
1.26 0.14 2.379 2.29 6.31
Med (0)
0.12 2.978 2.917 3.35
Med (30)
0.14 2.379 2.313 2.77
Med (60)

Questions
1. What can you say about the acceleration and velocity of an object in projectile motion?